Journal: Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society
Volume: JOTGES 35:69 (Autumn 2022)
Article: The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37)
Author: Kathryn Wright

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The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37)

Kathryn Wright

Columbia, SC

I. Introduction

One of the most well-known parables of the Lord is the Parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10:25–37.1 In studying the literature, I have discovered at least two primary issues surrounding this teaching by Christ. The first is the danger of the interpreter to allegorize the parable. Many have suggested that Jesus is teaching things that may not at first be apparent. How much of this, if any, is legitimate? Can a reader look at the context and conclude that the Lord is pointing the lawyer in the account to certain conclusions which are separate from the original question he asked Him? Can the reader read between the lines and conclude that Christ has another purpose in mind? It is common to find in the commentary traditions warnings against this tendency.

A second major issue concerning the parable is more basic. What is its fundamental interpretation? At face value, the parable seems to be teaching that God’s people should care for those in need. Often this is used to provide a test of “genuine” faith. It is maintained that a true child of God will love his neighbor. The problem is that this parable would then be teaching eternal salvation by works, which is contrary to the teachings of Scripture.2 Since the Scriptures can never contradict themselves, it is clear that this cannot be the meaning of

JOTGES 35:69 (Autumn 2022) p. 46

the parable. Such a view can only be arrived at by not considering the context.

In this article, I would like to address these two issues. To do so, we will first consider the context.

II. The Context

There is heavy Jewish emphasis in Luke 10. The chapter begins with Jesus sending out seventy of His disciples to preach in the cities of Israel. Their message would have been that He is the Christ and that He was offering the kingdom to that generation of Jews. He would be the One who judged them if they rejected that message (vv 11–15). In order to confirm that their message was from God, the seventy were given the power to perform miracles.

The seventy returned and were excited about the miracles they were able to perform in the name of Christ (v 17). The Lord, however, reminded them that they should rejoice rather that their names had been written in heaven (v You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
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